Canister shell



Feb. 15, 1949. D. F. LlNsLY 2,461,555

CANISTER SHELL Filed March 28, 1945 Syvum/vm nuglas, FlLinElEy Patented Feb. 15,1949

CANISTER SHELL Douglas F. Linsley, Greenwich, Conn.

Application March 28, 1945, Serial No. 585,376

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) 9 Claims.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to ammunition.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved shell of the type which is iilled with shot and commonly known as canister or shotgun type shells.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means of causing the shot to be ejected from the canister shell casing. v

A further object of the invention is to provide means for causing the canister shell casing to move at a speed less than the speed of the shot after leaving the gun, whereby the shot is separated from the casing.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description and claims.

A prefered embodiment of the invention has been illustrated in the drawings in which:

Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view of a shell embodying the invention,

Figure 2 is a longitudinal view of the projectile shown in Figure l as it leaves the gun barrel, showing the retarding vanes extended,

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 3-3 of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary View of a portion of the shell as seen from the outside, and.

Figure 5 is a detail perspective View of one ci the retarding vanes.

As shown in the illustrations, there is a vane casing 2 and a hollow ball or shot casing il. The shot casing is located in the forward portion of the canister shell, and is iilled with a number of balls 5, also known as shot. A front cover plate 8 serves to close the forward opening of shot cas ing 4. Thecasing l is narrower in cross-section at its rearward end i0 and increases in 'cross-sec-v tion until it is widest' at'its forward end I2. A groove I4 near the forward end of the casing serves to slightly indent the casing and thus fur nishes a support for cover plate 8.

The s lot casing 'i has a flange i6 at its rearward en d, and is joined tovane casing 2 by means of screws I8 threaded into holes 2t and 22 in the casings 2 and 4 respectively. Y

The vane casing 2 is provided with a central bore 24 which consists of an enlarged rearward portion 25 and a reduced forward portion 28. The reduced portion 2B should have a diameter small enough to keep out the balls 5. A number of varies` are movably located in radial openings or recesses 32 spaced around the casing 2 as shown. In the drawings, particularly Figure 3, a total of six vanes 30 has been indicated, each vane located in one of the six radial openings or recesses. One of the vanes Bil is shown in a perspective detail view in Figure 5. Each vane 30 has an L-shaped form. The horizontal leg 34 has a transverse hole 36 passing through it, and forms a right angle with the radial leg 38 of the vane 30. The leg 38 is provided with an elongated narrow aperture or slot lll and two projections 42 extending parallel to the horizontal leg 34 as indicated, the projecticns 42 extending from the top end 44 of leg 3B downward toward but not reaching the bottom end 26 of the leg.

The casing 2 is also provided with a number of recesses 48 around its periphery, there being one recess for each recess 32, all the recesses t3 being located in a plane parallel to the plane oi recesses 32 but-spaced therefrom a short dis tance. Each recess 43 has an angular location equal to its corresponding recess 32 as shown.- A radially elongated opening 52 wide enough to receive the leg 34 of vane 3B serves to connect each recess 32 with its corresponding recess 48. One vane 3i! is inserted into each recess 32 with its horizontal leg 34 extending through opening 50 Ainto recess 48.

Each screw i8 has an unthreaded slightly reduced extension 52 extending through the slot 40 of vane 3i) so that the vane 3Dv is constrained to maximum radial motion along the distance dened by the length of slot 40. A coiled spring 54 is placed between the lower'face of horizontal leg 34 of each vane 30 and the inner lower surface of each recess 32, the spring 54 being compressed when vanes 30 are inside the casing 2 and serving to urge the vanes 30 radially outward to the position shown in Figure 2. In the latter illustration it is seen that the springs 5t have pushed each vane 3B radially outwardso that the vanes extend partly outside the casing A2. Y

The sheil is constructed'sothat the variesr 30 cannot be extended outwardly until the shell cas ing 2 has been fired out of the gun barrel. Thus, when the gun .is fired, the springs 54 press the varies 30 against the inner surface 3 of the gun barrel which surface prevents the vanes from extending beyond the casing 2 until the casing has emerged from the barrel. y I

'Ifo facilitate handling the shell prior to insertion into the gun barrel, there is provided for each vane 3l! a tie wire or cord 56 one end of which passes through the center of the shot casing 4 and is fastened-to or looped through `holes 55 in the center of the cover plate 8, and the other end of which passes through the bore 28 and into recess iS-through an aperture 58 connecting bore 24 with recess t8. The wire or cord 56 also passes f through the hole 35 in vane Sil and is secured in the recess 48 bymeans of seals 60 which may be lead balls placed in each recess 43. Each seal cil' has a central hole 52 through which the wire passes, and by squeezing the soft metalV seal Vafter the wire 55 has been inserted through it and theM l seal pressed down into the recess 48, the hole S2 is decreased in diameter and thus the wire 55 is y tightly held withinV the constricted hole in the pushed into the enlarged portion 25 of the bore, the :fit being tight enough tov hold the member 613' in the position indicated in Figure i. The membei' y5ft has a cutting edge', formed by beveling 'its forward end as .shown.` The cutting edge Sli is slightly spaced from the wires 56;

When the gun is red, the pressure of the 'prop'ellant gases forces the member d4 forward so'its cutting edge cuts all the wires 55. Since the cut wires 5 no longer serve to hold the seal 6c, the 'springs 54then press the varies 30 radially out- 4 case but with a separate propelling stead.

Although the invention has been described in specific terms, it is to be understood that changes may be made in the size, shape, arrangement and charge in- `materials without departing from the spirit and scope of the I claim:

1. AV canister shell comprising a casing havingfa forwardly open recess formed therein, a

plurality of balls in said recess, a removable cover invention as` claimed herein.

' 'for closing 'said recess, at least one wire connectiii) ward against the inner surface of the gun barrel. f

The 'va-nes expand lightly against the barrelV rifling and the result is to give the shell a spin.

As soon as the shell leaves they barrel the vanes expand beyond the diameter of the shell as indicated in Figure 2, thus catching the air and acting as a retarding inuence on the shell casing while it is in flight. The shell is given'some'added stability due to the spin'derived from. contact with the barrel rifling. The resulting centrifugal force assists the springs 5ft in keeping the varies extended.

Since the shell casing is retarded bythe added resistance of the varies, the balls 5, which iill the shot casing il, continue Vtheir forward movement inasmuch as they are not subjected to the added retarding influence of the vanes. Thus the now unfastened cover plate 3 is pushed off by the balls and the balls surge forward out of the shell. Y The funnel shaped shot casing will allow the exit of the balls in substantially a conical path whose longitudinal center line is parallel to that of the gun barrel, thereby causing widespread 'destruction at short range.

Once the cover plate 8 has been pushed offloy the forward surge of the balls the now open funnel shaped shell case acts in conjunction with the varies as a retarding influence.

It should be noted that when the vanes expand lightly against the barrel, they will function equally well as a retarding inuence whether or not the barrel is riiled, except that with a smooth barrel the shell will not be given a rotation.- In other words, this canistertypre'shell'is adaptable for use in most types of 'cannons now'in the field. This shell is intended for use in guns using -xed semi-xed, or separate'loading ammunition'. For purposes of illustration, Figure 1 shows the shell" with a cartridge case 68 havinga percussion primer 'lil and containing a propelling charge 72;' -The shell casing 2 has an external groot'e'ld intowhich the forward end of the cartridge case is crimped iidesired. For semi-fixed ammunition the crimping is omitted, and for separate loading the shell is used without Vthe' cartridge actuated rmeans Vinsaid apertures for extending Y said vanes partly outside said casing as said casing is red from ya gun barrel, detent means for y holding said varies retracted inside said apertures,

and means actuated by the pressure of propellant' gases on'iring said shell for cutting said wire and `for releasing saiddetent means.

2. The construction of claim 1 wherein 'said recess is frusto-conical irl-shape, its larger sized end ybeing located att-he forward endof said Casing.

3. The construction of claim 2 wherein said var es are L-shaped, having their horizontal legs parallel to the axis of` the shell and their Vertical legs extending radially outward, said vertical legs having anelongated longitudinal aperture formed therein for dening the limits of radial movement of said vanes, studs projecting from said casing into eachfof said apertures for limiting the radial movement of said' varies.

4. A canister shell comprising a casing having a forwardly-opening shot chamber therein, a plurality of shot in said chamber, first means carried by said casing and projectable laterally outwardly therefrom from a first, to -a second position, second means urging said rst means into said second position, wire means restraining said first means in said rst position, and cutting means actuated in response to ring of said shell for severing said wire means whereby said second meansV acts to project said nrst means into said second position to retard the flight of said casing only.

5. In a shell for guns, a casing forming a forwardly-opening chamber, a plurality of shot in said chamber,' rst means comprising laterally movable vane and riding-engaging elements carried by said casing and movable from a position within the confines of said casing to a position projecting outwardly of said casing, second means resiliently urging said first means into said outwardly projecting position, third means releasably maintaining said iirst means in said casing engaging position, and cutting means carried by said casing and operated by and in response to ring of said shell to sever said third means to thereby permit said 'second means Ito movesaid first means into position engagingthe bore of said gunduring passage through the barrlthreoi and into' outwardly projecting position. upon emergence of said shell from said gun.

61. lA canister shell comprising a casing'form'ing 'a forwardly-opening chamber',v apluralt'ybf shot in said casing, cover means removably. secured over said opening, a plurality of vanos carried by saidcasing means yieldingly urgingsaid varies from a first position within the conines of said casing radially to a second position outwardly of said casing, common means normaliy holding said vanes in first position and said cover means over said opening, and severing means operated byfr- U ing of said shell to sever said common means and release said vanes for movement to said second position.

7 A canister shell comprising a casing having a forwardly open recess therein, a plurality of bullets in said recess, a cover removably positioned over said recess to close the same, vanes carried by said casing and radially extensible therefrom to increase the air resistance of said shell, spring means urging said varies into extended position, shearable means holding said cover in position and said vanes in retracted position, knife means slidably mounted in the casing and movable into engagement with said shearable means responsive to ring of said shell to shear said shearable means.

8. A canister shell comprising a casing having a forwardly-open recess therein, a plurality of bullets in said recess, a cover removably extending over, and closing said recess, a plurality of varies in said casing and extensible laterally therefrom for increasing the wind resistance of said casing in flight, resilient means urging said vanes into extended position, severable means normally holding said cover in position over said recess, and said vanes in retracted position, and pressure-actuated severing means operated by ring of said shell to sever said severable means and thereby release said vanes and cover.

9. A canister shell comprising a first casing having a forwardly-opening chamber, a plurality of bullets in said chamber, la cover closing the forward opening in said chamber, a second cylindrical casing secured to the base of said rst casing and having a series of equally spaced radial apertures opening through the periphery thereof, a vane positioned in each aperture, spring means urging said vanes radially outward of said aper tures, means carried by said casing limiting said radially outward movement, a series of equally spaced radial openings in said casing, each said opening being adjacent a respective aperture, each said vane having a portion extending into a respective opening, a deformable element in each opening radially outward of said portions, Wire means connecting said cover with each said element to retain said cover in position and said varies in retracted position, said wire means passing through a passageway between said casings, and knife means in said second casing and movable into engagement with said wire means to sever the same, said knife means being moved by and in response to pressure engendered in firing of said shell.

DOUGLAS F. LINSLEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,194,363 Casanovas et al. Aug. 15, 1916 1,294,059 Case Feb. 11, 1919 1,330,291 Witkowski Feb. 10, 1920 1,864,916 Gachassin-Late June 28, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 550,001 Great Britain Dec. 17, 1942 

